The Battle of Pine Mountain
by Syn2
Summary: A fun little story full of anatomically correct snowmen, twisted ankles and dork vampires and revenge. Let the battle begin!


Title: The Battle of Pine Mountain   
  
Author: Syn   
  
E-Mail: veruca_werewolf@hotmail.com   
  
Disclaimer: All Angel related characters belong to Joss Whedon and his minions.   
  
Genre: Humor   
  
Rating: PG-13   
  
Content: C/A, little bit of F/G and F/W  
  
Time Period: Season 3, between Provider and Waiting in the Wings.   
  
Summary: It's a winter getaway and the war is on!   
  
A/N: This was my answer to the Stranger Things Board's Secret Stranger Santa, way back last December. I decided to post it here since I still like it a alot. :)  
  
****  
  
::The Hyperion Hotel::  
  
"Why skiing?" Angel asked as Cordelia went through his closet, tossing sweaters and pants onto the bed. He eyed the growing pile with concern. That many clothes for two days?   
  
"Why not?" Cordelia shot back, tossing a navy blue sweater at him. She grinned as it smacked him in the face. "Don't you like the mountains?"   
  
"Sure I do." Angel replied, ripping the sweater off his head. He pushed past her and reached for a hanger.   
  
"Then what's your problem?" Cordelia asked, snatching the sweater before he could put it back on the hanger. Angel watched in dismay as the sweater sailed through the air and landed on top the pile of clothing on his bed.   
  
"It's the skiing part. I don't actually know how." He admitted, shoving his hands in his pockets and shifting uncomfortably in place. Cordelia stopped in mid-grab and turned to him.   
  
"You don't know how to ski?"   
  
"No."   
  
"How long have you been alive?"   
  
"Well technically I'm not--" He started before Cordelia cut him off, grabbing another sweater and tossing it on the pile.   
  
"I swear, for a guy that's been around the world a gazillion times, you'd think you could learn a few skills. Skiing is easy and I'm sure you of the vampire skills can learn. It's not like it's hard or anything."   
  
"I'm sure it's not. I just...wouldn't you like to go someplace else on vacation? Someplace sunny?" Angel asked as he sat down on the bed. Cordelia sat down too, curling her legs up under her.   
  
"Pfft! We live in Southern California, Angel. I've had enough sun. Besides, I miss going skiing with my family every Christmas. It's been a long time since I've seen snow, ya know." Cordelia said as she started to fold his clothes up. Angel watched in helplessness as she jammed sweater after sweater into his suitcase. He figured there was no point in arguing the fact that he didn't even NEED sweaters since he didn't really feel the cold.   
  
"Still...there are other places to go. Less colder places."   
  
"Well, since you're paying for this I figure you can enjoy the overcast conditions. Less chance of going poof than on the beach."   
  
"How thoughtful of you."   
  
"I guess the Christmas spirit has finally reached me."   
  
"It's mid-January, Cordy."   
  
"Details, details! Now pack some undies. I've got to go get myself ready. Oh this is going to be so much fun!" Angel grinned as Cordelia leaned forward and gave him a rushed hug.   
  
"Yeah, you and me, on a mountain. Cozy fires, plenty of sweaters..."   
  
"Oh! That reminds me! Tell Wesley he can leave that god awful sweater of his at home. I am not going to be seen with him if he's wearing something with gigantic snowflakes on it!" Cordelia said, pulling away and standing, nearly bouncing with excitement.   
  
"Wesley? Why would Wesley wear that?" Angel said numbly as Cordelia went toward the door.   
  
"For the trip? Hello? Jeez Angel, get it together! We all leave in two hours!" And with that, she turned on her heel and walked out the door, leaving Angel staring after her, all of his plans of alone time flying right out the window.   
  
Then, something else occurred to him.   
  
"I hope I have enough money."   
  
****  
  
::Pine Mountain Ski Resort::  
  
"Isn't it pretty?" Fred said as she stepped onto the veranda. The whole resort spread out before them; the ski slopes, the chairlifts, the ice skating pond and the quaint row of shops that qualified as the Pine Mountain Village. Everything was covered in a thick layer of snow and more was falling in pleasant little fistfuls. The sky was an overcast, leaden gray, the sun shrouded in clouds.   
  
"Reminds me of the time my father took us to the Swiss Alps and--"   
  
"Shut up English. We're trying to enjoy the view here." Gunn said, leaning against the railing and staring down at the frozen pond, where several people were skating, twirling around and screaming excitedly.   
  
"The peak of Pine Mountain is 6,240 feet above sea level, boasting four slopes, including Pine Trail and Dead Man's Drop. Dead Man's Drop has killed thirty-four people in the past five years." Everyone stared at Fred, who blushed. "I memorized the brochure. Well, except for that last part. I found that out on the Internet. I mean, who would actually advertise how many people their mountain has killed? It's like my dad used to say--"   
  
"Fred, you're rambling." Wesley interjected.   
  
"Oh." Fred blushed again and clamped her mouth shut.   
  
"Don't worry about it. I like to hear you ramble. And you're right. It is pretty here." Gunn said, stepping forward and sticking out his tongue. Fred giggled and did the same, catching a snowflake on the tip of her tongue.   
  
"What do you think Angel?" Cordelia asked, tightening her scarf as she surveyed the view. "Angel?" She turned around and saw him standing just inside the lobby, squinting up at the sky. "What's the matter with you?"   
  
"It's daylight."   
  
"Yeah, but it's overcast and the weather report said it would snow all day. So get your undead ass out here and enjoy this view." When he didn't move, she reached in and grabbed his arm, pulling him out into the chilly air beside her. Angel flinched for a second before he realized it was pretty dark outside.   
  
"Are you sure...?" He started, glancing around at nervously. He half expected a beam of sunlight to break through the thick cloud cover and turn him to ashes right then and there.   
  
"I think therefore I know. Trust me. You're going to have a great time in the no-sun zone."   
  
"Look out kiddies! Snow bunny coming through!" Angel turned around and gawked at Lorne as he stepped onto the veranda, Connor in his arms. The snowsuit he'd bought was bright green and his toboggan, pulled down over his horns, had little purple pom-poms on it. His boots were made of purple faux fur that matched his toboggan.   
  
"Oh my God! The United Colors of Beneton threw up on Lorne!"   
  
"Ha-ha Demony-britches. Now someone take Rudolph here." Lorne said, holding out Connor, who was dressed in a thick snowsuit, fake antlers attached to the hood. A toothless grin spread across his face as he saw the snow. Fred took him immediately, cooing at him as he tried to grab a snowflake in his mitten-clad hands.   
  
"Where are you going?" Gunn asked as Lorne started toward the narrow wooden steps that lead down into the courtyard.   
  
"The Bunny Slope." He answered, putting on a pair of huge sunglasses as everyone stared at him. "What? You think I'm going to stick around the lodge all day and baby-sit? No way in hell."   
  
"But what about your...well you're green, Lorne." Fred said as politely as possible. "Won't people stare?"   
  
"Let 'em. I'm going to enjoy myself, cats. See you at dinner, sweeties!" And with that, he trotted down the steps and walked away.   
  
"So who's going to watch the baby?" Wesley asked, as everyone turned to stare at baby Connor, who was still fascinated by the snowflakes.   
  
"I'll do it!" Angel volunteered, but Cordelia smacked his arm.   
  
"No, this is your vacation, Angel and you're going to ski." She said firmly as Angel frowned.   
  
"I'll take care of him, Angel. Besides, I've never skied either. We Texans tend to panic whenever two snowflakes rub together." Fred said, hoisting Connor higher on her hip.   
  
"I'll help you watch him, Fred. We can build a snowman." Gunn said as he grinned at Fred.   
  
"And pretend that he is Parson Brown?" Fred said excitedly as Gunn steered her toward the steps.   
  
"Who?"   
  
"Nevermind, Charles."   
  
"Well, what are you going to do?" Cordelia said, turning to Wesley, who was watching Fred and Gunn go with an unhappy expression on his face.   
  
"Perhaps I should help them with the baby...take some pictures..." Wesley said, holding up his brand new digital camera.   
  
"Or maybe you can show me those great skiing skills you bragged about the whole way here." Angel said, clapping Wesley on his well-padded shoulder. The Englishman jumped and turned a bit pale as Angel smiled nastily at him.   
  
"Oh, yes well...it's not something you can teach, you know." Wesley stumbled, gesturing helplessly with his hands.   
  
"I'm sure."   
  
"Alright boys, less talkie more walkie. Let's go to the ski rental place and get this vacation started." Cordelia said, pushing the two men forward, a grin on her face. Angel would have smiled if he weren't so preoccupied with looking up at Dead Man's Drop.   
  
"Oh crap."   
  
****  
  
Angel jumped off the chairlift with Cordelia, staring nervously at the darkened slope before them. He stood to the side and peered down into the valley, the forest green roof of the lodge a bright splash of color against the snow. He watched as several people started down the hill, snowsuits bright against the gray snow. Someone fell about halfway and rolled several feet. He swallowed hard.   
  
"Cordy...I don't know about this..."   
  
"Angel, stop being such a woman and get over here. NOW!" Cordelia said, stamping her foot as best she could. She couldn't lift it very high, as there was a ski attached to it, but Angel got the message quite clearly. He awkwardly plodded toward her, wobbling in the ski boots as he went.   
  
"Can't I start on the Bunny Slope with Lorne? Get my ski legs first?" Angel hazarded, glancing down the steep hill that was dotted with pine trees.   
  
"Sure, if you want to look like a total wuss. Come on Angel, I know you can do this. It's just keeping your balance and steering. Remember what I showed you?"   
  
"Yeah...but did you see the slope?"   
  
"This isn't the X-Games, Angel. It's just going downward, upright and really fast." Cordelia said, bending down to fix the strap on her boot. Angel smiled as she bent over, but quickly looked away as Cordelia turned back toward him. "So are you ready?"   
  
"I...did you see the trees? I could hit one and poof! Then where would you be?"   
  
"With one less whiny person to listen to? You avoid the trees really easily. Just...go around."   
  
"And we all saw how well that worked out for the Kennedy's." Angel said, lifting his ski pole into the air and examining the pointed end.   
  
"And Sonny Bono." Wesley piped up as he jumped off the chairlift and slid over to them.   
  
"Shut up Wesley." Cordelia snapped, then turned back to Angel. "Seriously Angel, just steer like I showed you and you'll be fine."   
  
"I'll go first, if it'll help." Wesley said, a broad grin on his face. Angel shot him a dirty glare that spoke volumes. "See you all at the bottom."   
  
"If Angel doesn't hit a tree." Cordelia laughed as Angel scowled at her. "What?"   
  
Wesley laughed and pulled his goggles down over his eyes, then pushed off down the slope. Angel watched as he leaned over a bit to get his momentum going, then straightened, bending at the knees to steer and using his poles to steady himself. Faster and faster he went until he grew into a small blue dot that sailed through the sparse trees populating the slope. Soon, they couldn't see him anymore.   
  
"See? If Wes can do it, I know damned well you can."   
  
"Why is this so important to you?" Angel asked as Cordelia bent over and tightened the straps on his boots. She stood upright again and smiled an infectious grin at him.   
  
"Because. I got a painless--thank God!--vision from the Powers that told me YOU needed a break and some fun. And what's more fun than hanging out with me?" Cordelia said as she grabbed a hold of the scarf she'd bought him and wrapped it around his neck. Angel shivered, but not from the cold.   
  
"Well, if you put it that way...lead on." Angel smiled and gestured to the slope before them.   
  
"Just follow me and remember what I showed you, okay?"   
  
"Okay."   
  
With that, Cordelia started down the slope, her sleek red suit dazzling to Angel's eyes. Taking a deep, unneeded breath, Angel pushed off after her. He wobbled a little bit at first, but quickly found his balance, leaning over and using the poles to correct himself.   
  
Hey! This wasn't so hard! What the hell had be been worried about?   
  
As soon as he thought that, his skis hit a small mound of snow and he lost his balance. He flailed with his arms and lost one of the poles. His skis started to go in opposite directions; he tightened his leg muscles to try and correct it, like Cordelia had shown him, but it was too late. He hit another bump in the snow and toppled forward.   
  
Angel hit the snow with a thud and kept going, rolling down the hillside, the world a blur of white snow and gray sky. Suddenly, something red flew into view and he slammed into it a second later. He heard a scream of pain as the red thing crumpled up on top of him. Together, they kept rolling until they finally fell to a stop, Angel's head smushed into the snow. He raised it, painfully aware that he was about to get his ass kicked.   
  
"Oh crap..."   
  
****  
  
"I am not giving the snowman a penis, Charles!" Fred said, patting a handful of snow onto the bulbous snowman before her.   
  
"Why not?" Gunn protested with a grin, holding Connor close to him. The baby smacked the snowman's head and gurgled happily.   
  
"Because it's--what the heck?" She squinted over Gunn's shoulder at the three--well, two--people walking toward them. Gunn turned around and his mouth fell open.   
  
"What in the world happened to you?" Gunn asked as Wesley walked up to him. Angel followed behind, holding Cordelia in his arms. The Seer had a sour, pained expression on her face, one hand clasped to her left ankle.   
  
"Dorkus fell down the slope and slammed into me." Cordelia snapped, thumping Angel in the ribs with her elbow.   
  
"You didn't?" Gunn said, grinning widely.   
  
"I saw the whole thing! It was hilar--a tragedy of epic proportions." Wesley corrected as Cordelia shot daggers his way.   
  
"Are you okay, though?" Fred said in concern, her eyes on Cordelia's ankle.   
  
"I'm great. I think my ankle is twisted and I'm probably going to be charged for murder when I can walk again."   
  
"We'd better get you to the First Aid station for an ice pack or something." Angel said hastily, hefting her in his arms and taking off toward the lodge. Fred followed closely behind, taking Connor from Gunn on her way. Gunn lagged behind and turned to Wesley.   
  
"Please tell me you took a picture of that."   
  
"Several." Wesley said, holding up the digital camera with a grin. "I'm never letting him live this down."   
  
"I have a feeling Cordy ain't either."   
  
****  
  
After a visit to the First Aid station at the lodge, Angel carried Cordelia up to her and Fred's room and set her in front of the fire with her swollen foot propped up on three squashy pillows. Angel paced the floor and tried once again to apologize.   
  
"Angel, if you apologize one more time I am going to get up, ankle be damned, and hit you! Now sit down." Angel took a seat in front of her, nervously eying her swollen foot.   
  
"Can I get you anything?" He asked, his gaze lingering on her toes. She'd painted them to match her snowsuit; he fought the urge to grin.   
  
"Well, let me see...you've already crippled me, so I think you've done enough for today."   
  
"You're not crippled. The medic said you'll be back on your feet in two days." Angel pointed out as Cordelia crossed her arms over her chest.   
  
"In two days we'll be back in L.A., in case you forgot." Angel fidgeted in his chair and tried to find something to say. "Look, it's okay Angel. You didn't mean to be hell on skis. I probably shouldn't have pushed you to do something you weren't ready for yet. Still...you're a freaking vampire! Aren't you guys supposed to be all superhuman-y with the powers and the skills?! I'm a freaking movie cliché now!"   
  
"Cliché?"   
  
"Everyone and their mother has done a "We're going on a ski trip, but oh wait, the lead is hurt and hilarity ensues" storyline. I've just stumbled into one."   
  
"Well, I wouldn't call you the lead...you're more like the female sidekick type..."   
  
"Leave. Right now. Go. Away." Cordelia pointed sternly toward the door. Angel made a hasty exit, leaving Cordelia alone in the room to sulk and plan.   
  
****  
  
Cordelia watched from her room as night fell on Pine Mountain, the wind picking up and throwing snowflakes against the window. It was warm and cozy in her room, but she really didn't want to be in there. She turned her head as someone knocked on the door and then walked inside.   
  
"Hey Cordy! What's up?" Fred said, walking in, her cheeks bright red.   
  
"I'm plotting revenge, what are you doing?"   
  
"What? Revenge?"   
  
"On Angel. Say...what are you doing right now?" Cordelia said nonchalantly. Fred pulled her hat off her head and stared at Cordelia.   
  
"Cordelia, I don't think Angel meant to knock you down a mountain. He's really sorry."   
  
"I think we're all sorry about the dead man's drop heard round the world. Especially me!" Cordelia grumbled and then looked out the window at the cold snow. "I just want to give him a little thank you gift."   
  
"What kind of gift?"   
  
"Oh you'll see. Get the guys in here. I need their help."   
  
"I don't think this is a good idea, Cordy." Fred said, always the loony voice of reason.   
  
"It never is."   
  
****  
  
"That's all? Sure I'll help." Wesley said after he heard Cordelia's plan. He smiled and gestured to Gunn.   
  
"What about you?" Cordelia asked, turning to Gunn, who was still wavering, unsure.   
  
"Uhh...sure." He said, seeing the gesture Wesley made at him again.   
  
"Oh goody! Where's Lorne?" Cordelia asked, strapping her boots on and wincing as her still swollen foot ached. She put a little bit of weight on the muscle and winced again. It was better, but not by much.   
  
"I think he said he was going shopping or something." Fred spoke up from her chair.   
  
"That's okay, we don't need him anyway. I've got four people on my side and all he's got is a Miracle kid. This is going to be sweet." Cordelia said, reaching for her coat and hopped to the door. "Just remember to wait for my signal."   
  
"Right!" They all barked to their Commander.   
  
****  
  
"Poor kid, you had a hard day. Not as bad as mine though." Angel was looking over Connor as he slept in the bed, his little hands curled up around his nose. "I think your Aunt Cordy is going to try and kill me. She's a dangerous woman, you know."   
  
Connor sighed in his sleep, but didn't move. Angel patted his back and stared into the fire. He looked up as something thumped against the glass on the double doors that lead to the outside. He stood and walked over to the doors, swinging them open to the chilly outdoors.   
  
"Who's out here?"   
  
As soon as his mouth had opened, something came sailing through the air and splatted him right in the face. Shocked, he just stood there, snow dripping all down his face and his mouth and nose full of the cold stuff. Then he heard a very familiar laugh coming out of the darkness.   
  
"Payback's a bee-yotch!" Cordelia called from behind a mound of snow, her bright red suit showing up plainly against the gray snow. Overhead, the clouds parted and moonlight flooded the snowy yard of the lodge. Angel could see Wesley, Gunn and Fred crouching beside her, snowballs in hand. "Ready guys? Get him!"   
  
She signaled to her troops, but only one snowball sailed in Angel's direction. The other two smacked Cordelia right in the kisser from either side. She was too stunned to move as two of her soldiers quickly defected to the other side.   
  
"Traitors!" She yelled and threw a snowball at their retreating backs. Angel, fully recovered from his blast from the snowball, scooped up a handful and launched it over the heads of his newest recruits. Cordelia dodged it and ducked behind her fort. She turned to her only ally and took a deep breath. "Okay, we're outnumbered and I'm wounded. I'm depending on you."   
  
"Right," said Fred, as she grabbed one of the pre-made snowballs Wesley and Gunn had packed. "Let's get 'em!"   
  
Over at the boy's camp, they were quickly scooping up snowball after snowball as Angel piled up their own fort.   
  
"Thanks for defecting guys." Angel, clad only in one of the sweaters Cordy had packed, said as he ducked another one of his Seer's well-aimed snowballs. The girl had an arm on her.   
  
"No problem. Cordy needed to be taken down a peg or two." Gunn said as he tossed a snowball over the edge of the fort.   
  
"Yeah, bro's before ho's." Wesley said and Angel stopped in mid-snowball packing to stare at him. A snowball sailed over the fort and hit the Englishman square in the head.   
  
"You SO deserved that." Gunn said, laughing and launching another snowball over the edge of the fort. He heard Fred squeal and grinned. "So, we got a game plan?"   
  
"Well, we need to capture their fort and declare ourselves Masters of the Universe, so I think our objective should be to run over there and pelt them with snowballs until they scream." Wesley said, tossing his own snowball, a child-like grin on his face.   
  
"That's a good plan. I'm going with that plan." Gunn said and then turned to Angel, who narrowly avoided getting hit by a large snowball. "What about you?"   
  
"I'm the one she really wants. I'll be the decoy while you guys sneak around the side and take the fort." Angel suggested, crouching low under the fort walls.   
  
"Good idea. Okay, we'll cover you while you--what's that?" Wesley said as he caught a flash of green dart behind the girl's fort. He turned around and peeked over the edge of the snow fort. Swearing under his breath, he turned back to his fellows-at-arms. "This is not good."   
  
"What?"   
  
"They've got a new weapon."   
  
Meanwhile, the girls, outnumbered and demoralized by their brave leader's injury, were losing hope.   
  
"I think I hit one, but I can't be sure." Fred said, reaching for another snowball.   
  
"That's okay, Fred. Do the best you can. We haven't lost yet."   
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Cordelia started and turned on Lorne, who had snuck up behind Fred and Gunn's anatomically correct snowman and was now watching the Battle of the Sexes with interest.   
  
"Angel plowed me over on Pine Trail today and twisted my ankle. I'm getting my revenge by having a snowball fight."   
  
"Revenge? I hate to break it to you sweetie, but you're outnumbered. I'd hardly call getting your ass handed to you revenge." Lorne whispered, keeping out of sight behind the plump snowman.   
  
"Wanna join our side?" Fred asked, catapulting a snowball over the side once more.   
  
"This is the girl's side!"   
  
"When has that ever stopped you from using the ladies' room?" Cordelia hissed, ducking a snowball. Lorne thought a moment and then sprinted behind the girl's fort. He picked up two snowballs and threw them with deadly accuracy. Cordelia cheered as she heard two muffled yelps of surprise from the boy's side.   
  
"Okay, what they're going to try and do is take our fort before we take theirs. We have to stop them. Fred, you get Gunn. Lorne, take Wesley out."   
  
"What are you going to do?" Lorne asked, poking his horned head over the edge to stare at the boy's fort. They were glaring his way. He turned back to Cordelia, who grinned and lifted herself up on one elbow.   
  
"I'm taking Angel down. On my count," She said, grabbing as many snowballs as she could. "Be ready..."   
  
Angel ducked below the snowline and picked up several snowballs. "Gunn, you get Fred and Wesley, I KNOW you can take Lorne. I know what Cordelia wants and I'm going to give it to her. We're taking that fort so be ready on my mark..."   
  
"Be careful man. She wants your blood." Wesley said as he loaded up on snowballs.   
  
"Oh, I'll give it to her alright..."   
  
There was a great silence for a few moments and then both Commanders gave the signal to attack. Snowballs were thick in the air. Gunn got smacked in the shoulder and fell backward. Wesley nailed Lorne right between the horns and watched as the demon fell backward in mock agony. Gunn, still stunned, crawled low, intending to capture the fort. Fred, seeing his plan, stood up and rained snowballs down on him. Wesley, seeing his comrade in danger, managed to hit Fred in the neck with his own snowball. He watched as she squealed and swiped the cold snow away; too late, it was already sliding down into her coat.   
  
Wesley laughed and started forward, but he'd forgotten about Lorne, who had quickly recovered from his blow. He threw two snowballs at the oblivious Wesley before one hit him right in the crotch. Surprised, he fell back over wall of the boy's snow fort. Gunn ignored his pain and crept still further across the distance to the girl's side. Fred was still squealing about the snow in her coat, so she didn't notice Gunn until he was on her.   
  
Cordelia, hobbled but deadly, ignored Fred's scream as Gunn pelted her with snowballs. She also ignored the rain of snowballs Lorne and Wesley were still launching at each other. There was only one man...pire she wanted in this battle and he was coming straight toward her.   
  
"I hear you're after revenge. It comes with a price, you know." Angel said, circling her. They had both walked into the open space between the forts, snowballs flying overhead.   
  
"Don't give me any of your Champion talk, Mister. I'm taking you down."   
  
"Crippled as you are? I'd like to see it, Tiny Tim." Angel retorted, grinning as Cordelia bristled.   
  
"That is so it. Prepare for total domination."   
  
"Bring it on."   
  
Cordelia leapt at him, smushing a snowball into his nose. He fell backward in the snow, Cordelia on top of him. She started smushing other snowballs into his face and the collar of his sweater.   
  
"How do you like that, huh?" Cordy said, laughing as Angel got another mouthful of snow. "Who rules?"   
  
As soon as she said that, she was flipped over in the snow and pinned there. Angel hovered over her with a grin on his face. "Look who's on top?"   
  
"I suppose you think you've won?" Cordelia retorted with a grin. All of her annoyance at the big hunk of manpire was spent. Now all she could notice was the big grin on his face. Her goal to make him have fun seemed to have been fulfilled.   
  
"That depends, do you give up and accept my apology?"   
  
"Depends on what you're going to do with that snowball in your hand."   
  
"Oh this?" Angel asked, lifting the snowball high in his hand.   
  
"Yeah that."   
  
"I just thought I'd get you back for that first snowball you threw."   
  
"That's not fair! That was my revenge for knocking me down the mountain!"   
  
"Hmm...well, since you put it that way..." Angel said, grinning as he tossed the snowball aside. "Call this one a truce?" Cordelia seized her opportunity and jumped on him again, grabbing his forgotten snowball and shoving it down his pants. Angel shrieked in surprised and wriggled out from under her. "Oh that...that is going to cost you!"   
  
Cordelia jumped up as best she could and tried to hobble away, but Angel grabbed her by the back of the coat, scooped up a handful of snow and shoved it down her shirt. Cordelia screamed in shock as he smushed it around inside her shirt, the cold almost painful on her warm skin.   
  
"I cannot believe you went there!" Cordelia gasped, squirming out of Angel's grip.   
  
"I can't believe YOU went there!" Angel said, gesturing to his wet crotch. Cordelia burst into giggles and sank down into the snow.   
  
"Okay, white flag! We're even." Cordelia said, gasping for breath as Angel sat down next to her.   
  
"Maybe we should tell them that?" Angel said, gesturing to their troops, who were still furiously at war. Gunn was chasing Fred around the snowman they'd built and Wesley and Lorne were still holding the forts.   
  
"Nahh...let em go. It's fun to watch." Cordelia said with a chuckle. She leaned her head on Angel's shoulder and sighed. "We all really needed this vacation. Thank you."   
  
"My pleasure. I really am sorry about your ankle." Angel said, taking Cordelia's gloved hand in his own.   
  
"Don't worry about it. It was fun getting back at you." She grinned and turned her face to his. "Its so good to see you smile, you know."   
  
"You too." Angel leaned in, his eyes on Cordelia's lips. Cordelia leaned in too, her heart racing. Just then, something cold and wet smacked them both in the face. They broke apart and looked up to see Lorne standing there.   
  
"Wesley did it!" Lorne said, pointing to Wesley, whose guilty hand was still in the air.   
  
"Get him!" Cordelia shouted and they all rushed Wesley, pelting him with snowballs.   
  
Angel watched them and laughed. This was the best weekend ever. Skiing disaster and all.   
  
(end)   
  
**** 


End file.
